1. Technical Field
The invention relates to headrests. More particularly, the invention relates to headrests for medical treatment structures, and still more particularly, to headrests for dental chairs.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Handling a patient's hair during a medical procedure, such as dental work, is usually not of paramount importance to the healthcare provider. A patient's head is placed on a headrest in a position most convenient to the service provider, for example a dentist, while providing adequate comfort to the patient receiving the treatment.
Generally, headrests are designed to provide support to an average patient's head. Many prior art solutions show how to provide additional types of support to the head itself. For example, in some cases the headrest includes a neck-supporting bulge to avoid neck pain associated with receiving treatment for a prolonged period of time while resting one's head against a relatively flat headrest.
Raymond et. al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,497, provides a headrest where the hair of a patient receiving a treatment is supported such that the patient's hair is prevented from hanging down. By securing the hair in position, regardless of the motion of the headrest, that the patient's hair does not move when the headrest does. However, this solution, as with other prior art approaches, is not concerned with the effect of the headrest on the hairstyling of the patient. At best, prior art solutions provide a head support with a recess complementary to the back of an average human head. In some cases, the headrest is further adjustable to fit a plurality of head sizes, or the headrest itself can be replaced with another sized headrest.
Specifically, the design of the headrests is such that, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, support is provided to the patient's head by a headrest 110, and to the patients neck by a neck support 120. However, a patient having a ponytail, a bun, spikes, or any other protruding kind of hairstyle, would easily deform, distort, or otherwise mutilate the hairstyle, or would at least be uncomfortably placed in the headrest.
Therefore, in view of the limitations of prior art solutions it would be advantageous to have a headrest that provides a sufficient support to a patient's head while receiving a treatment, but that avoid damaging or spoiling the hairstyle of the person receiving such treatment.